


School Nemeses 7

by magog_83



Series: School Nemeses [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-04
Updated: 2011-04-04
Packaged: 2017-10-17 14:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/177899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magog_83/pseuds/magog_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Arthur are archenemies.  Optimistic young teacher Miss Slater thinks she can do something about that. Modern school!au. Meeting the headmaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	School Nemeses 7

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by Vensre. WIP.

As if in reaction to their brief partnership — and the rather spectacular black eye acquired by Arthur when he fell face first on the classroom floor — the next day and a half saw an outbreak of what the teaching staff liked to call ‘incidents’ involving Merlin and Arthur. By Thursday afternoon these had resulted in two torn blazers, a broken set of paintbrushes, and a missing football, before culminating in both Merlin and Arthur failing to turn up as expected for their after school detention. Miss Slater waited ten minutes before she wandered back down to the main school, only to find them both – to no-one’s surprise — waiting in the corridor outside Mr Newman’s office. She looked at them, appraising. Merlin appeared to be trying to burn a hole in the side of Arthur’s face with his eyes, whilst covered in dust and, she noticed, possibly a few cobwebs. Arthur was positively radiating smugness.

She sighed. “Do I even want to know?”

Merlin pointed a shaking finger at Arthur. “He _shut me_ in a _cupboard._ ”

Arthur’s smirk quickly vanished when Miss Slater turned to him, his expression impossibly earnest. “Honestly miss, he’s so useless, he probably shut himself in.”

“It locks from the outside,” snapped Merlin.

“Does it really?” said Arthur, sounding shocked and horrified.

“I was in there for _two hours!”_

“Two hours?” Miss Slater said, taken aback. She turned a disapproving look on Arthur who failed to appear remotely sorry.

“It could have been worse. I mean, at least you’re not scared of spiders. Oh wait,” Arthur said, eyes going wide, “You are, aren’t you?”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed and he was just opening his mouth to retort when Mr Newman came striding round the corner, balancing a cup of coffee and a stack of papers, and weighing up the situation in an instant. “Don’t even think about it,” he barked. “If you kill each other on school premises, I will be forced to report it, and quite frankly that’s a lot of paperwork I don’t need.”

He pushed past them, unlocked his office door and gestured them in, only then spotting Miss Slater. “You might as well come in too, as you’ll be wanting them both after.”

With a feeling of trepidation Miss Slater followed them in and found herself a seat by the window, Merlin and Arthur flopping down into the chairs in front of the desk.

Mr Newman settled himself down, took a gulp of coffee and checked his watch. “Right, I have badminton at five, so let’s get this over with.” He looked up, with the air of a man for whom retirement could not come soon enough. “Who wants to blame who first?”

Both Merlin and Arthur opened their mouths and then closed them again, apparently disconcerted. Merlin looked at Arthur, then back at Mr Newman.

“Today please,” said Mr Newman.

Finally Merlin spoke, sounding sulky. “He shut me in a cupboard.”

“There’s no proof of that,” Arthur cut in at once.

“I had to miss Art,” went on Merlin accusingly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “So nothing too important.”

“Perhaps I should make this easier?” interrupted Mr Newman, rubbing his temples and looking down at the desk like he was tempted to start banging his head against it. He straightened and picked up the phone. “Why don’t I just call your father, Arthur?” Arthur blanched. Even Merlin stopped glaring and turned to stare at the Head Master. “Although, after the recent incident with the soldering iron, I had hoped not to have to do this again. I think he had too.”

Arthur went even paler, visibly swallowing. Mr Newman glanced up at the notice board by his desk where a much used post-it note listed _Contact details of Merlin Emrys and Arthur Pendragon_ along with their respective home and work phone numbers. He cleared his throat and began to dial – and at his movement both boys seemed to unfreeze, Arthur jerking forward and Merlin looking from the phone to Arthur and back again.

“Sir, I—” began Arthur in a strangled voice, at exactly the same moment as Merlin blurted, “I tied his shoelace to the chair!”

Mr Newman stopped dialling, replaced the handset carefully and raised his eyebrows. “Pardon?”

Merlin gaze was fixed on the Head Master, his face a little pink, as he resolutely ignored the way Arthur was gaping at him. “He shut me in the cupboard because I tied his shoelace to the chair and tripped him up.”

“Is this true, Arthur?”

Arthur dragged his gaze back to Mr Newman. “Yes, sir.”

Mr Newman sighed, heavily. “I’m probably going to regret this, but _why_ exactly did you tie his shoelace to the chair?”

“He ruined my picture,” said Merlin mulishly.

“It was a stupid picture anyway,” muttered Arthur.

Merlin glared at him as he hissed, _“Pointy hats,_ Arthur.”

Mr Newman clapped his hands together, making them both jump. “Well, I’m glad to hear you both handled your differences in your usual exemplary fashion. Now I suggest you apologise to each other and we can all go home. Well,” he amended with an apologetic look at Miss Slater, “I can anyway.”

Merlin just stared stubbornly down at his hands and Arthur looked pointedly in the opposite direction.

Mr Newman rolled his eyes. “You needn’t worry, no-one would dream of expecting you to mean it.”

“Oh,” said Merlin, looking happier as he threw Arthur the tiniest of glances. “Sorry then.”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry too,” added Arthur insincerely.

“Wonderful!” said Mr Newman. He smiled at Miss Slater. “They’re all yours!”

Miss Slater tried to look appropriately grateful as she followed them back outside but soon gave up the effort. There followed an awkward moment as they all paused in the corridor.

“I hope you’re not expecting a thank you,” said Arthur at last, as if daring Merlin to try it.

Merlin shrugged. “It’s not like I want your father coming to school either. He hates me.”

“I don’t like you much either,” pointed out Arthur.

“Yeah, well,” replied Merlin, looking supremely unconcerned. “If _you_ annoy me I can staple your pants to the notice board.”

Arthur turned immediately to the half open door of Mr Newman’s office. “Sir! Did you hear—”

“Yes, I heard,” came Mr Newman’s bored voice. “And no, I don’t care.”

Arthur looked disappointed as he muttered, “I told him it was you.”

“Well, you deserved it,” said Merlin.

Miss Slater thought it was time to intervene. “If you’ve quite finished?” She began chivvying them along the corridor and out through the main door into afternoon sunshine.

They walked in silence, Merlin with his hands stuffed in his pockets and Arthur with his head down, darting the occasional glance at Merlin until Merlin caught him at it.

“What?” Merlin said, irritably.

Arthur flushed, and said quickly, “You’ve got a cobweb on your head.” He reached out and brushed it off.

Merlin scowled and ducked out of his reach, too late. “Well you look like a panda.”

At this Arthur glared, and Merlin glared, and Miss Slater absolutely did not smile as she dug out her keys and crossed the small yard to the library door, saying. “Come on, miscreants. Last one in has to de-spider the kitchen.”

The End


End file.
